


just give me true love and understanding

by Livesinbooks



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Crushes, Dancing, Edward Elric Swears, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Greed is bad at feelings, M/M, No ship between Greed and ed, No ship between Greed and ling, Platonic Relationships, Platonic friendship between Greed and Ed, Platonic friendship greed and ling, Possibly OOC, Pre-Relationship, Rated T for language, The only romantic ship here is Edling, basically no plot, pure self-indulgent fluff, they're just dancing and having fun and being cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:34:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25765270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Livesinbooks/pseuds/Livesinbooks
Summary: Fine, maybe the reason why he preferred the Prince over Greed was that he kind of had a big crush on Ling.So now dancing with him in the forest to the soft music playing from the crappy radio, wind blowing their hair around, the strands mingling as if Ed and Ling were one person, Ling's warm hand in his, his other on his waist…It was just a lot to handle at once, and Ed was sure his face had the colour of his beloved coat.
Relationships: Edward Elric & Greed, Edward Elric & Ling Yao, Edward Elric/Ling Yao, Greed & Ling Yao
Comments: 12
Kudos: 100





	just give me true love and understanding

**Author's Note:**

> My first fanfic in this fandom because I finally rewatched fmab again and still ship Edling a ton  
> The characters are possibly a little ooc but I just wanted them to be happy and have some fun
> 
> The songs they're listening to are just some of my favs at the moment:  
> Hey Lover - Daughters of Eve  
> Strawberry Blonde - Mitski  
> Electric Love - Borns
> 
> Just imagining the boys happily dancing to those makes me very happy

Ed was sitting on the cold forest floor, staring at some sticks in the dirt in front of him. His mind was blank for once, there was no worry about Al or the Promised Day.  
In the distance he could hear Gori and Heinkel argue, probably over whose turn it was to collect more firewood. Greed had to be around somewhere too, he'd gone wandering off after lunch which had consisted of more canned food.  
He was getting so sick of this all, but now was not the time to be upset. 

Sighing, Ed leaned his head back against the tree behind him and tilted it upwards to look at the sky and clouds he could see between the trees.  
The wind ruffled his hair gently, and his eyes closed. His breathing was calm and collected, his heart beating steadily in his chest. He cherished these moments during which he managed to be completely calm.

A few sticks crunched and his eyes snapped open, ready to fight whoever was approaching, but it was just Greed.  
Ed's eyes narrowed as he studied him, and then he grinned. No, that was Ling.  
"Hey, you haven't been out in a while. Did you bribe him?" 

Ling chuckled and sat down next to him.  
"No, I just managed to annoy him enough to let me be in charge for a while."  
That made Ed snort, and he relaxed back against the tree. He'd missed Ling and his annoying personality. Sure, he was warming up to Greed, but he just preferred the Prince. Which didn't mean he liked thinking about the reasons for that, so he just didn't. 

"So, how are you doing?" he asked the other teen.  
"I'm good. It's not so bad to share a head with Greed anymore. I'd like to be out more, but it's not bad."  
Ed hummed in response and frowned when he heard buttons being pressed.  
Looking over to the Prince, he saw that he was holding a small portable radio.  
"Where did you get that?"  
"Gorius found it in the last village we passed through and Greed stole it from him earlier. I want to listen to music. It must have been years since I last heard someone sing."  
Ling clutched his chest dramatically, and Ed rolled his eyes.  
"Stop being an idiot. But fine, play some music."

It took the Prince another few minutes to figure out the thing, but then soft music started playing from it. Closing his eyes again, Ed listened to it, the calm tunes and voice adding to the relaxed atmosphere of the forest and his mind.  
When the song changed to something more uplifting, Ling started moving his leg to the beat.  
Ed ignored him, but then the idiot grabbed his arm. He turned to him, frowning.  
"What do you want?"  
"Dance with me!"  
"What?" 

Instead of answering, Ling just pulled him to his feet forcefully and linked one of his hands with him, putting the other at Ed's waist.  
The blond stared at Ling in shock, trying to find the familiar annoyance in him, but there was only embarrassment and gentle exasperation.  
Ling wanted to dance? Fine, then they'd fucking dance.  
He didn't know what to do with his free hand and the Prince chuckled.  
"Put it on my shoulder. Didn't you ever learn to dance?"

Frowning, Ed positioned his hand, and then tried to move along with Ling as he started dancing to the song.  
"No, who needs to know how to dance?"  
"Royalty." Ling grinned and tightened his grip on Ed, speeding up their movements, so they'd be in sync with the beat of the next song that started playing. 

_Hey hey hey lover  
You don't have to be a star  
Hey hey hey lover  
I love you just the way you are_

Ed's face warmed at the lyrics and the fact that his chest was pressed to Ling's. At least Greed's choice of clothing didn't leave his chest exposed or he may have died on the spot.  
Fine, maybe the reason why he preferred the Prince over Greed, which he didn't like to acknowledge, was that he kind of had a big crush on Ling.  
So now dancing with him in the forest to the soft music playing from the crappy radio, wind blowing their hair around, the strands mingling as if Ed and Ling were one person, Ling's warm hand in his, his other on his waist…  
It was just a lot to handle at once, and Ed was sure his face had the colour of his beloved coat. 

Ling was grinning down at him, and Ed tried to scowl, but his traitorous lips were twitching into a smile.  
"Greed is currently calling us cheesy idiots."  
Ed snorted and exaggerated his dancing just for the homunculus by comically moving his hips.  
Ling laughed and the sound was even better to Ed's ears than the music they were listening to. The stupid idiot Prince was making him all sappy.  
"He says he hates you, but I know that's a lie."  
His smile was still bright on his face as Ling raised their joined hands into the air and guided the blond into a spin with the hand at his waist.  
Smile finally breaking out fully on his lips, Ed went with the movement and then back into the Prince's arms.

"I like your smile. You should smile more often." Ling had let go of Ed with one hand to poke his cheek.  
"Shut up." It came out weaker than intended with the embarrassment clouding his brain.

The song came to a close and Ling grinned and pressed their still joint hands against the blond’s shoulder to make him bend backwards.  
Ed spluttered as Ling dipped him and then rightened him again.  
"You could use some practice, but that wasn't bad for a first dance."  
The Prince winked and Ed hit him on the shoulder.  
"Idiot." There was no heat in his voice.  
A new song started, and Ling tilted his head to the side, which he seemed to do sometimes when Greed was talking to him. 

"Do you want to dance?"  
Ed watched him, knowing he wasn't the one being addressed right now.  
"You can, I don't mind. … Come on, I know how you're feeling, remember, we share a body. … I won't make fun of you and neither will Ed, we know you'd beat us up for it. Well, me only mentally, but you know what I mean." 

The Prince's face brightened and his eyes focused back on the blond.  
"Someone else wants a dance too. He promised to let me out again afterwards, so don't worry."  
Ed blinked and watched Ling's face change as they switched.  
"You want to dance with me?" he asked, amused, but even though he wanted to make fun of him for it, he didn't. First of all, Ling the idiot had promised in his name that he wouldn't, and Ed didn't want to upset him because pouting Ling was fucking annoying. Secondly, Greed's old friends were all dead, and despite pretending not to need them, he knew the homunculus enjoyed being around people who were possible new friends.  
And Ed did slowly see him as a friend.

So, for Ling's sake, and secretly for Greed, he held out his hands, ignoring the homunculus’ scowl at his question..  
"Come on, Greed, before Ling gets upset. You know how much more annoying he is when angry."  
The other was watching him with an almost cautious expression for a moment before replacing the expression with a sneer.  
"Let's hope your Prince doesn't get jealous watching us."  
Ed's ears were burning, and Greed's laugh would almost sound condescending if he didn’t know that that was just how he normally laughed.

"The song is almost over. Let's just get it over with," Ed grumbled and grabbed Greed's hand, putting the other on his shoulder, same position as before. Greed placed his hands too, and they fumbled around, stepping on each other’s feet, until the song stopped. Before they could talk about it, the next song started, something fast and upbeat that started with clapping.

I love everybody because I love you  
When you stood up, walked away, barefoot

Ed shrugged and started moving to the beat again, pulling Greed along. The awkwardness and clumsiness was there for a bit longer, until… 

_Look at you strawberry blonde_

Greed grinned at the line and Ed rolled his eyes.  
"My hair isn't strawberry blond."

But somehow that broke the ice and they moved easier together, feeling the movements more than trying to focus on them, so their dancing got a lot less painful from all the stepping on each other.  
It was different than with Ling, there wasn't this weird tension from having romantic feelings, so it was more lighthearted to dance with the homunculus.  
If someone had told him a few months ago that he'd be dancing with Greed in the forest to some unknown song while Ling watched from inside his own brain, well, he wasn't sure what he would've said. 

_Look at you strawberry blonde  
Fields rolling on  
I love it when you call my name_

Greed started singing along without knowing the lyrics and Ed grinned at the ridiculousness of it all, continuing to move over the forest floor, sticks breaking underneath their steps.  
They kept more space between them while dancing, they weren't as close as Ling and Ed had been, but it was…  
Fun. It was somehow really fun to move this carefree with Greed. And by the honest smile peeking out from underneath the grin on Greed's face, he thought so too. 

The song came to an end, and Greed moved backwards. Ed tightened his grip on him.  
"Let's do one more song. I'm sure Ling won't mind."  
For the tiniest second there was surprise, and then happiness in Greed's face, then he was smirking.  
"If you insist, brat." 

_Candy, she's sweet like candy in my veins  
Baby, I'm dying for another taste_

Ed's feet moved on their own and he spent the time watching Greed's face for more slip ups, more signs of him genuinely enjoying this.  
It was stupid, but seeing Greed happy a few moments ago had made him happy too. But maybe it wasn't so stupid, they were friends after all.  
And right now, there was nothing they had to do or think about other than the situation at hand.  
They all deserved this break. This peace.

_All I need is to be struck by your electric love_

Greed spun Ed too fast, and he almost stumbled into a tree, but the other pulled him back in time, laughing. Ed scowled, but secretly he didn't mind it all too much.

_Baby, you're like lightning in a bottle  
I can't let you go now that I got you  
And all I need is to be struck by your electric love_

Greed and Ed both loudly sang the chorus along the second time.  
There was something freeing about screaming your heart out in a forest to an upbeat song. He wondered briefly what Gori and Heinkel were thinking, but it didn't really matter.

All that mattered right now were Greed, Ling and him and the little garbage radio.

When the chorus repeated itself one last time, they screamed along again and Greed looked as free as Ed felt in that moment.  
The song was over after that, and they stopped moving, standing there, just looking at each other.  
Greed squeezed Ed's hand lightly, almost as if unconsciously.  
"Alright, brat, I'll give you back your Prince now."  
"Wait." Ed said it before thinking about what he even wanted to say.  
Greed quirked an eyebrow at him. 

"It's just…"  
"Spit it out, Edward."  
"You're our friend. Okay? You're our friend, so… Don't forget that, asshole."  
It wasn't all he had wanted to say, but he left it at that. It was the most important stuff after all.  
There was a weird expression on Greed's face then, one that the blond couldn't figure out.  
"Why would I want friends like you? You're just annoying children." 

Greed's face changed, and Ling was standing in front of him, smiling softly.  
"He's happy and can't quite process it, don't mind him."  
Ed snorted.  
"I figured. Weirdo can't deal with emotions."  
"He's saying neither can you, judging by your pining."  
His face exploded with heat, and Ling tilted his head.  
"What is he talking about?"  
"Nothing! Listen, Greed, I'll kill you next time you're out if you tell him."  
"You should've had this conversation while he was here, I feel like a very strange messenger right now. He says you should stop being a coward and make a move."  
"Oh fuck off. I won't, not until you admit that we're your friends and you care about us." 

Ling snorted.  
"I think he's pouting now. Can you imagine that?"  
Shaking his head, Ed huffed amused.  
"No way, I'd love to see that. The great homunculus Greed. Pouting like a toddler."  
"Let's give him space. Fancy another dance?" 

Ed looked at the hand that Ling was offering him, and swallowed. Briefly he wondered what the Prince would do if he did make a move…  
No. Not today. Today was for carefree dancing alone. not complicated feelings. 

Ed took Ling's hand and intertwined their fingers.  
"Alright, let's do it."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I appreciate feedback!  
> Also, I wanna write more Edling and also Ed & Greed & Ling friendship, so if you have any ideas, let me know!


End file.
